A known thermoelectric converter described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. S62-178554 has a thermoelectric conversion portion including plural pairs of thermoelectric elements (i.e., P type thermoelectric elements and N type thermoelectric elements) between two alumina ceramics substrate arranged opposing each other via electrodes. The electrode includes a copper thick film pattern formed at an alumina ceramic substrate surface.
A known thermoelectric converter described in Japanese Patent No. 3225049 includes a P type semiconductor block (i.e., thermoelectric element) formed with grooves and an N type semiconductor block (i.e., thermoelectric element) formed with grooves. With the thermoelectric converter described in Japanese Patent No. 3225049, the grooves of the P type semiconductor block and the grooves of the N type semiconductor block are fitted one another to form a unified block.
Notwithstanding, with the construction of the known thermoelectric converter described in Japanese Utility Patent Laid-Open Publication No. S62-178554, because the P type thermoelectric elements and the N type thermoelectric elements are arranged in alternately arrangement, the assembling process of the P type thermoelectric elements and the N type thermoelectric elements is complicated, which is a drawback for the productivity.
With the thermoelectric converter described in Japanese Patent No. 3225049, the P type semiconductor and the N type semiconductor are linearly arranged. However, with the construction of the thermoelectric converter described in Japanese Patent No. 3225049, L shaped top surface electrodes and L shaped bottom surface electrodes are required at a peripheral portion of the thermoelectric element. With the L shaped electrode, because the N type thermoelectric element and the P type thermoelectric element are connected in parallel, the Peltier effect and the Seebeck effect, or the like, is declined to decline the cooling or heating performance and the power generation effect.
A need thus exists for a thermoelectric converter including a P type thermoelectric element and an N type thermoelectric element linearly arranged each other with high productivity, high cooling and heating performance, and high power generation effect and a manufacturing method thereof.